Open Season
by frenchienumber3
Summary: Ava finds herself dropped in Dutch Harbor and forced to seek help from her dad, Phil Harris of the Cornelia Marie. Her and her dad don't get along, and nether do her and Jake, Josh is her only friend..along with the Northwestern crew. Deadliest Catch!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing!!!!! ;)

So here it is….I hope it didn't suck…I think it's decent, but it's okay if you guys don't like it :)

And also…I'm probably not accurate on my knowledge of this kind of stuff, so if I get something wrong, please let me know, and I'll seriously fix it!

* * *

**Chapter 1**

Dutch Harbor Alaska was cold this time of year, heck, it was cold every time of the year, but it was colder now. It was the beginning of January, which marked the start of opilio crab season. Boats were lined up along the dock, each of them eagerly waiting to get the 'all clear' from Fish and Game and the Coast Guard.

Ava pulled her jacket closer to her frame as the frigid Alaskan air blew through it. She bounced on the heels of her feet, looking up and down the dock, hoping someone she knew would just happen to pass her on their way to their boat. But of course, that didn't happen. She trained her eyes until she finally spotted the 125 foot vessel. She smiled, that single blue boat was what gave her most of what she owned. She could see the crew diligently working, preparing for departure. She slowly made her way over to the old fishing boat. Once she got there she placed two hands on the rail then jumped over it, gracefully landing on both feet on the deck of the boat. She heard a whistle behind her,

"Man, you do that so perfectly. You'd think you were one of us." Ava turned around and smiled at Dave,

"Well, you know, technically I am." She replied. He chuckled and walked over to her.

"What are you doing here Ava?" he asked, suddenly serious. She smiled sadly,

"I need to have a word with my dad, you know where he is?" she asked. Dave nodded,

"Wheelhouse." She nodded thanks and then headed across the deck. She met eyes with Josh, who looked slightly concerned, but she quickly looked away. She didn't want to deal with that now. She quickly opened the door and ignored the looks she was getting from the rest of the crew. She was glad when she reached the stairs for the wheelhouse. She made her way quickly up the stairs, her deck boots making tiny thuds on each one. By the time she reached the top, her dad had already stood up, meeting her half way.

"What are you doing here? Where's your mother?" Phil asked, wondering what his daughter was even doing here. Ava sighed,

"Nice to see you too, dad." She said. Phil rolled his eyes,

"Don't gimme that Ava, why are you here?" Ava laughed,

"It's your turn." She said. Phil looked at her like she was crazy,

"What?" he asked. Ava looked at him,

"Kate said it was your turn, she dropped me off here this morning…You know it's really not that bad, she was starting to get boring, her parental decisions were actually starting to get predictable, this one totally threw me off." She stated, leaning against a chair.

"Is she insane? She left a 15 year old girl alone in Dutch Harbor? In this weather?" Phil yelled, obviously angry.

"I'm 16." Ava corrected, not taking note of anything else he had said. Phil paused, but pretended like he didn't care,

"I'm about to leave port, I cant deal with you right now." He said, starting to head down the stairs.

"Oh and the love just keeps gettin better!" she shouted as she followed him down the stairs. Phil's fists clenched but he kept on moving until he was standing on the deck. He immediately saw Josh and Jake standing together watching him walk on deck followed by Ava. The rest of the crew knew this was a family matter, so they kept to themselves, most of them walking out of hearing range. They knew there would be arguing. Phil turned around and faced Ava, she was shivering. He took that moment to see what she was wearing, dark blue skinny jeans, deck boots pulled on over them, and Alaskan Fish Supply sweatshirt, and a small black jacket. She didn't have any gloves.

"You cold?" he asked. Ava gave him a look, then glanced away, noticing all the snow and ice that surrounded her.

"You know dad, I really shouldn't have come here, I don't know what I was thinking you would do." She said looking back at him. "I mean, I'm not really your daughter, because in order to be that, I would actually have to be loved by you, and you would actually have to know my age." Phil looked like he was about to explode. Ava looked away, not wanting to see him, she saw the Northwestern a couple boats down.

"Now you listen here Ava—"

"No, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come. Hey, I'm 16, I should be able to figure something out, I'm sure I can find a couple nice boozers down at the Elbow Room that are willing to help me out…great environment you've got here." She said.

"Ava" Phil said,

"No, you know, I always knew that I'd be disappointed by my dead beet mom, but I always figured that maybe one day my dead beet dad would step in, guess not, now I'm disappointed by both of them." She said, as she carefully and perfectly hoped back off the boat and onto the dock. "It was nice seeing you Captain." She said as she mock saluted him. And with that, Ava walked away, afraid that Captain Phil Harris would see the tears that were forming in her eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

Open Season

Disclaimer: I still own absolutely nothing!!!!!

Okay…so this still might suck…and I don't know, but…yeah…it's what I did/got…so I hope you enjoy it! xD

* * *

**Chapter 2**

"Come on now! I wanna have this boat ready to leave in an hour! Lets stop messin around down there!" Sig yelled at his crew. Edgar chuckled, standing next to him, Sig gave him a warning look but said nothing.

"Have you forgotten that we still don't have our greenhorn?" Edgar asked, looking at his older brother.

"Yeah, I know Edgar, thank you for that great observation." Edgar smiled as his brother walked off, back to the wheelhouse.

Ava quietly sat on the edge of the dock, her tears long gone. She was really just wasting time because in reality, she didn't know what she was going to do. She was in a place she wasn't used to and the only people she knew here were about to leave on crab boats. To make it simple, she was screwed and completely stuck. With her feet dangling over the dock, she put her head in her hands and mentally cursed herself.

"Hey, you really shouldn't be sittin on the edge of that." Ava, startled, whirled around, nearly falling off the dock in the process. She looked up at the boy, probably 18 to 20,

"And you shouldn't sneak up on people like that." She replied, standing up and walking up to him, noticing that he had a duffel bag with him, and he looked completely lost. He looked at her sheepishly,

"Sorry, I'm Jake Anderson." He said. Ava rolled her eyes at his unfortunate name, but offered him her hand anyway.

"I'm Ava, you look lost, can I help you?" she asked.

"I don't think you'd be able to help me." He replied

"Just try me." She said. He smiled,

"I need to find the Northwestern, you know what that is?" She asked. She laughed, a little annoyed that he was talking to her like a child.

"Northwestern, one of the top five crab fishing boats, run by crazy Norwegians, and let me guess, you're their new greenhorn. How am I doin?" She asked, smirking at him as if she had just won a contest.

"I guess you do know what I'm talking about." She said, nodding approvingly. She smiled at him,

"Follow me." She said, heading down the dock, not pausing to look back and see if he was actually following her or not. He figured he better follow.

* * *

Edgar stood up top near the entrance of the wheelhouse watching Matt and Norman finish tying down all the pots. He had made the excuse of Deck Boss, saying that he only needed to watch them complete the task instead of actually participating in it. He was really just making sure that everything was getting done up to his brothers expectations. Down by the dock though, he spotted something that made him smile.

"Well look who's bringin us our greenhorn, special delivery." He shouted. Matt and Nroman looked up, then started laughing. Sig, having heard all the commotion, came out of the wheelhouse standing next to Edgar, just in time to see a girl with long blonde hair swing herself over the railing with perfect ease. He smiled as she looked up at him with a smirk on her face.

"Well look whose here. What a surprise." Ava chuckled, looking to the ground, but straight back up at him.

"How you doing Captain?" she asked. Jake just stood there, shocked that she could be so relaxed with the captain of the boat and intrigued as to who in the world she was.

"I'm glad now that my greenhorn is here, where'd you find him?" he joked.

"Not far from here, he seems like a keeper." She replied, winking at him. Edgar slowly made his way down the stairs, but picked up speed when he was on deck. He quickly reached Ava and wrapped his arms around her, picking her up and swinging her around. She let out a yelp, but quickly wrapped her arms around his neck.

"You, have been a stranger for far too long." Edgar said, setting her down. She sighed,

"Don't I know it." She said sadly.

"Ava!" Edgar and Ava averted their gaze to the dock, spotting Josh. Ava took a deep breath then playfully punched Edgar in the arm,

"I gotta go, I'm in trouble for not controlling my attitude, momma's gonna go get punished." She said. Edgar laughed,

"You're only her for what, 10 minutes, and you've already managed to piss off your dad, that's the Ava I know. I hope he doesn't eat you." Edgar said. Ava smiled,

"No promises." She said, as she hoisted herself back onto the dock. Once on the dock, she walks closer to Josh. She looks at him nervously,

"Hey." She said quietly, testing the waters. He looked at her,

"Ava, why are you here?...I mean, you're okay right? You're not here because your hurt or something like that are you?" He asked, seriously looking at her. Ava rolled her eyes,

"Josh, it's nothing like that, don't be stupid." She said.

"Hey." He warned "I'm not being stupid, I haven't seen you in what, two years?" he said. She looked up at him,

"It's only been a year and a half." She corrected. He rolled his eyes,

"Big difference Ava." Ava sighed,

"What do you want?" she asked.

"Dad sent me after you, I figured you'd be over at the Northwestern." Ava smiled,

"Yeah well…they like me." She said.

"Hey!" Josh said, "you know we do too." Ava chuckled,

"Some more than others though, right?" she asked, looking in his eyes. He smiled sadly,

"I missed you." He said. She leaned against him as they began to walk down the dock.

"I missed you too." She said. Josh smiled and draped his arm over her shoulders.

"Alright, lets get you back to the boat…I hope he doesn't eat you." Both of them looked at each other then burst into laughter. The funny thing was, there was a high chance of that actually happening.

* * *

Jake finished tying the pots with Dave when he saw Josh and Ava jump back on deck. He looked away, he didn't even know why she was here. This was the worst time for her to show up.

Phil was waiting for them on the deck when they approached him. He crossed his arms, "Okay Ava, It's my turn to talk, I don't want any interruptions, or…I just don't interruptions, is that clear?" Phil questioned, running a hand through his hair.

"Ooooooh." Ava said, pretending to shiver in fear, but she said nothing else.

"I don't have time for you now, I just don't, I'm about to leave port, and I just can't deal with you." He said. Ava nodded,

"Oh, the love, I can feel it—"

"Ava." Phil warned, "I said no interruptions, let me finish." Ava held up her hands, but let him go on. "Even though this is the worst time for you to show up, I can't just leave you here in Dutch. So I have no choice but to bring you with me for the season." Ava rolled her eyes and looked over at Josh,

"Enthusiasm." She mouthed at him. He smiled, but motioned for her to get back to paying attention. Ava looked back at her dad, signaling him to continue. Phil wanted nothing more than to hit her upside the head, but he refrained.

"Do you have anything with you? Clothes…anything?" he asked. Ava sighed, but shook her head and reached into her sweatshirt pocket, pulling out a cell phone, iPod, their chargers, and a five dollar bill,

"This is all I have." She said.

"Shit." Phil said. "Well, Josh will take you somewhere, get you a couple sweatshirts and sweatpants, some other necessities…may as well get her rain gear." Phil said. Josh nodded and looked at Ava. Phil let out a deep breath,

"Well? Get goin." He said. "I still wanna leave in the next two hours." Ava shrugged her shoulders, but said nothing, something that shocked both Phil and Josh. Even Jake looked at her.

"Alright," Josh said, "lets get you some clothes."

Phil watched as Josh and Ava walked down the dock. He shook his head and headed back for the wheelhouse, This just wasn't going to be his season, he could already tell.


	3. Chapter 3

**OPEN SEASON**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing at all! :/ xD**

So here is the next chapter….again, I'm not even sure if it's good or not, but I will continue to write it :/

Feel free to review so I know if you like it or not :)

* * *

**Chapter 3**

By the time that Josh and Ava had returned to the Cornelia Marie, Phil had been ready to leave for a half hour. "It took you two long enough, show her where she'll be staying and then come up here, I need to talk to you and your brother." Phil said over the intercom. Josh gave him a thumbs up, then head inside with Ava following close behind him.

"We don't have a lot of extra room on this boat, so you're kind of stuck with me and Jake." He said quickly, afraid of how she may react. But to his surprise, she said nothing. Instead, she put her things down on the floor and sat on his bunk, pulling out her iPod.

"Are you okay, you've been…abnormally quite…you're never quite." He said. She shrugged her shoulders. She didn't want to get into this conversation right now, not when Phil was waiting for him to go up and talk.

"I'll talk about it later Josh, you have to get up to the captain." She said, laying down on his bed. Josh paused before he left the room,

"You know, he's your dad too. And I know he has a crappy way of showing it, but he loves you just as much as he love me and Jake." He said. Ava laughed,

"I highly doubt that one." She said before putting her headphones in her ear and turning up the volume. Josh sighed before leaving, closing the door behind him.

* * *

"Alright boys, I know this is weird to have Ava onboard, but it's something that we're going to have to get used to for now." Phil said. Josh shook his head,

"It's not that bad to have her onboard." He said, "She is our sister. She may not have the same mother, but lets face it, her attitude is TOTALLY from you." Josh said. Phil nodded,

"I didn't say it was a bad thing, I just said it might feel a little weird. You guys haven't seen her in a long time." He explained.

"That's because you made her live with Kate, dad. And then, to make it worse, Kate moved away…to freaking Tennessee, of COURSE we didn't see her after that." Josh said.

"Okay, I can see where you obviously stand in this whole issue." Phil said, looking at Josh. "But how do YOU feel in all of this Jake?" he asked. Jake shrugged his shoulders. Phil looked at him confused. "I don't understand Jake, you and Ava used to be so close. What happened?" Phil asked. Jake shrugged his shoulders again,

"I don't know, I guess once I got older I realized that you had to cheat on mom to get her." Jake spat. Phil stood up angrily.

"Now you listen here Jake, I may have done something awful and incredibly stupid, but that doesn't change the fact that Ava is my daughter. And she's your sister." Phil yelled.

"Dad, you said yourself that she was a mistake!" Jake yelled, "You're making ANOTHER mistake by letting her come with us!" Phil sat down and looked out the window,

"Get out of my wheelhouse." He said. Jake shook his head and stormed out the door, running into Ava in the process. He stopped and looked at her, about to yell 'watch it', but then he saw the look in her eyes. His face softened,

"Ava," he started, but she turned around and ran down the wheelhouse stairs. Jake looked back at Josh, who had appeared behind him. "You think she heard all that?" he asked.

"Why do you care, you're the one that's so opposed to her being here." Josh said as he pushed past him. Jake sighed and followed him down the stairs and into the galley. He saw Ava emerge from their room with a jacket and watched as she walked out onto the deck. He looked over to Josh to see if he noticed, but he hadn't. He quickly followed her out.

* * *

She was standing at the rail, watching as things passed slowly by as Phil gently guided the boat out of the harbor. He slowly came up and stood next to her, leaning on the rail. "I didn't mean what I said up there." He said. Ava looked down at him,

"I think you did." She said, "And I think that the reason Phil sent you out, was because he knew you were right…I was just a mistake." Jake looked up at her. Hearing Ava talk without her sarcastic tone and seeing her so vulnerable made him remember why they used to be so close.

"You're weren't a mistake. Cheating on my mom was the mistake, you were just a…happy accident?" he tried. Ava laughed and looked back down at him.

"A happy accident? That's the best you could do?" Ava asked, still smiling. Jake sighed,

"I tried." He said, standing straight up and stretching his back. He hesitated for a second, but then looked down at the water, "I'm sorry." He said. Ava smiled sadly,

"You don't have anything to be sorry about." She said. Josh shook his head,

"Yeah I do. I blamed you…for everything after you left. Dad got sick, blamed it on you leaving. Josh was in a bad mood, blamed it on you for not being here anymore. I never really thought that you didn't really have a choice, Kate was your legal guardian." He said. "I don't even know why I was so mad. I guess it was because I was so used to having you around all the time. Kate was the worst mother ever, you spent more time at our house, trying to get away from her." He said. Ava nodded,

"I didn't wanna move. But I DIDN'T have a choice. I just woke up one morning and she told me to start packing. She wouldn't even let me leave the house, and before I knew it, there was a van in the driveway and she told me we were leaving now, no time for goodbyes." She explained. Jake nodded. He remembered the day that him, Josh and his dad had gone to check on her because she hadn't been around in a while. They found the house completely empty, not even a single note.

"When we saw the house empty, I felt like crying, but, hating you was easier. By the time Kate had called to tell dad where you guys were, I was already so mad. I already had it in my head that it was your fault. You were my sister one day, and the next you were gone." He said.

"But I wasn't gone Jake. I had to come back for holidays, it was part of the court deal, I spent holidays with Phil. But when I came back, you ignored me every day. And dad acted like nothing was wrong. He never talked to me. Josh was my only life line." She said. Jake looked at her,

"Dad couldn't talk to you, he was afraid sending you back to Kate would just hurt to much in the end, but he really does love you…and I do too." He said. Ava laughed lightly, trying to hide the tears that were starting to form.

"Well you guys have a retarded way of showing it." She said. Jake smiled as her sarcasm came back. He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her waist tightly. Ava stood on her tip toes and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thank you." She whispered. Jake rubbed her back.

"No, thank YOU." He said. She pulled away and looked back up at him.

"What the crap did I do?" she asked, smiling up at him. Jake smiled sadly,

"You came back." Ava was silent for a minute as she looked at her older brother. Then she smiled again,

"You're such a corn ball!" she said as she turned around and headed back for the warm galley. Jake rolled his eyes, but smiled at he quickly fell into step behind her, trying to get in before she did.

* * *

Up in the wheelhouse, Phil and Josh couldn't keep from smiling. "Maybe this trip wont be as bad as I thought it would be." He said as he set his course on the computer.

"Yeah, maybe not." Josh said, sitting next to his dad, handing him a cigarette and a lighter.

* * *

So thats Chapter 3! it would be really cool if you reviewed so i knew what you were thinking! But its okay if you don't ;)

Thanks for reading!!!! xD


	4. Chapter 4

**Open Season**

**Disclaimer: Nope…still don't own anything :)**

Okay then, here is chapter 4, I guess it could be better but I really just went with what I had at the time. I promise if you don't like this one, then the next one will be better. I think I'm pretty bad at writing, but I don't think that it could get any worse, it can only get better…at least I hope ;)

* * *

**Chapter Four**

Ava lay on her back, staring up at the top of the room. She couldn't seem to get to sleep. Maybe it was because she wasn't used to the constant motion of the boat, or maybe it was because she couldn't stop thinking about what was going to happen after the season ended. She turned her head to see what the time was, 2:04 a.m. She rolled her eyes. In the bed above her, she could hear her brother shift,

"Jake?" she asked. There was no answer.

"Jake?" she said, a little louder.

"Huh? What? What happened?" he asked, sitting up quickly. Ava winced,

"Sorry, I didn't mean to freak you out." Jake took a breath, but laid back down on his bed.

"No, it's okay, I don't mind." He said. Ava chuckled,

"Really?" she asked.

"…Okay I might mind a little, I mean I have to get up in like, and hour, but…what's wrong? Why are you awake?" he asked. Ava sighed,

"I haven't slept yet. I can't." Jake shifted,

"You haven't gotten to sleep yet?" he asked, slightly shocked.

"No." she said, turning on her side and pulling up the bed covers over her shoulders, trying to keep warm. No matter what she did, she just seemed to get colder and colder. She heard Jake shift again, but this time he ended up jumping down. He shoved her over and scooted in next to her. After she finally settled back in, she looked at him,

"What are you doing?" she asked. He laughed,

"My first time on the boat, I couldn't sleep either. Not even for an hour, and you know, on a crab boat, you at least have to have an hour of sleep here and there. So in my lame moment of weakness, dad asked Murray to take watch and he came into my room and sat with me. As girly as it made me feel, it really helped me. I figured you could use some help in YOUR lame moment of weakness." He said, smiling, even though he knew she couldn't see him. She whacked him in the shoulder, but she was laughing. She shifted so that she could face him,

"Hey Jake?" she asked.

"What?"

"Why do you fish? Why do you keep doing it, even though there's so much danger? Why do you risk it?" Jake paused. No one had really ever asked him that before, and he'd never really thought about it either. He shrugged,

"I don't know. You know, it's been in the family for so long." Ava nodded,

"But what makes YOU keep coming back?" Jake looked at her,

"…I guess it's the feeling of accomplishment that I feel after we come back and off load. It's like, yeah…I did that. I beat the odds. I survived out there…it's a good feeling." He said. Ava smiled. Jake sighed, "Have you talked with dad yet?" he asked.

"No." she answered. She hadn't talked to him since Josh had brought her back from the Northwestern. She was too afraid of what he would say…or what she would say.

"You need to talk with him. If you can fix things with ME, of all people, I think that you can go talk to dad." Ava shrugged. She didn't want to talk about this right now. Having Jake here was making her feel better and her eyelids were starting to grow heavy.

"I'm getting tired Jake." She said silently. Jake smiled at her ability to smoothly change the subject.

"Okay, get some rest." He said, leaning over and kissing her head.

"Thank you." She said. He smiled, as he too began to fall back asleep.

* * *

5 o'clock and she wanted to kill herself. She didn't have to work with the boys, Phil had said absolutely no, but by the time they were all up, there was no point in trying to fall back asleep. Between their arguing over breakfast or the later sound of her dad yelling at them over the intercom, any chance of sleep was tossed out the window.

She sat up in her bed and frowned. She was the type of person who liked eating later in the morning, so breakfast was out of the question. She was kind of at a loss as to what she could do. She got up and stretched, not even bothering to change out of her grey sweatpants and black Dutch Harbor sweatshirt. What was the point? She was in the middle of the freaking sea. Who did she need to impress? No one.

She walked out in the galley, not expecting to see anyone, but Josh was standing at the counter,

"Shouldn't you be out there…working?" she asked him, smirking. He looked over at her,

"Yes, I'm just getting coffee for Dave and Murray. Apparently they can't function without caffeine." He explained. Ava nodded,

"That's understandable." She said, and went to grab a bottle of water.

"Hey, take the Red Bull up to dad, will you?" he asked, already heading back out.

"Wait! What? No! Josh!" she exclaimed. But Josh just smiled as he closed the door behind him.

"Uugghh!" she turned back to the counter and grabbed the Red Bull. "I hate you, you tiny drink of energy." She said, dragging her feet to the wheelhouse staircase. She walked up them slowly, trying to waste as much time as possible. Once at the top, she stopped and watched as Phil worked, clicking on the computer or talking to the crew. She walked over to him and set the can on the counter. He looked up at her,

"Thanks, I didn't think you'd be up yet."

"Neither did I." she said, sitting in the chair next to him. "It's hard to sleep with you yelling at them all the time." Phil chuckled, taking the cigarette out of his mouth,

"Well what did you expect?" he asked. She laughed,

"I don't know." Ava answered, watching the boys run around on deck. She smiled as she watched Jake and Josh bicker with each other. Phil looked over at her curiously,

"How are you?" he asked. Ava never took her eyes off the deck as she shrugged,

"I'm good." She said. Phil looked back down to the boys,

"Pot coming up." He said impatiently over the intercom. Ava sighed and stood up, Phil tuning back to her, "Where are you going?" he asked. Ava looked at him,

"Back downstairs, Josh just told me to bring that up to you….and I did." She said. Phil nodded looking slightly disappointed. Ava looked back down at the deck, watching Jake work. Even though he was smaller than everyone else, he still worked hard and did a great job. She remembered him telling her that she needed to talk to Phil. She sighed and looked back at the captain,

"I could go down and get a book, then come back up here and keep you company…if you want." She offered. Phil was shocked; he didn't know what to say. But then he turned around and smiled at her,

"That would be really nice." He said. Ava nodded,

"I'll be right back." She said. Running down the stairs, she quickly grabbed one of the small books that Josh had gotten for her before they left. She grabbed the water that she had left on the counter, and then went back up.

* * *

Having Ava willingly sit next to him was a new feeling for Phil. He didn't know weather to be nervous or to be glad. He chose a medium. For the first time in a while, Phil took a close look at his daughter and realized that they had more in common then he ever realized. Somehow he would have to find a way to make up for all the lost time that they didn't have together. Maybe this trip was just what they needed.

* * *

Okay, chapter 4 done! sorry it took me a little longer than usual! xD

I hope you enjoy it though!!!

**please REVIEW!! ...just so i know what you think about it :)**

thank you!!!!!!!!!!!! :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Open Season**

**DISCLAIMER: Nope, I own nothing….unfortunately ;)**

And special thanks to everyone who is reviewing! You guys totally make my day!!!! So keep doing it please, I know I say it all the time, but **please **review!!! It lets me know if you guys really like it or not! Thank you!!!! 3

So here is chapter 5, I hope you enjoy it :)

* * *

**Chapter 5**

It was almost midnight and the boys had been out on the deck all day. They looked so tired, and to make matters worse, the winds were picking up, causing huge walls of water to crash into the deck. Ava was still sitting with her dad in the wheelhouse, only this time she had set her book down and taken up biting her nails. She was helping him watch for any rogue waves that might go unnoticed.

"Shouldn't you pull them in!" she exclaimed as a wave slammed against the pot on the launcher, drenching the boys who were standing around it.

"Not now, Ava. Its not that bad." Phil answered, trying his best to concentrate while the girl next to him rattled off question after question.

"But…it's too dangerous out there! They're going to get hurt! Please call them in!" she begged.

"Ava, get out of the wheelhouse!" Phil yelled, getting distracted by his daughter. "Watch out! Watch out!" he yelled over the intercom. Ava looked on as the waves beat down on her brothers and Dave.

"Call them in Phil!" Ava exclaimed.

"Get out of my wheelhouse, Ava!" He yelled, turning to face the girl, now standing up. "Go downstairs and stop bothering me, you're not a child anymore Ava, its time to start growing up." Ava frowned.

"How would you know anything about that! You were gone for most of my life!" she shouted.

"And you never seem to let me forget that, do you Ava?" Phil said quietly, shaking his head. "Get out of my wheelhouse." Ava glared at him.

"My pleasure." She said, spinning on her heel and heading for the stairs. Phil turned back to the deck shaking his head,

"That girl…" he whispered, sparing a glance at the computer screen. He looked back up just in time to see what seemed like a forty foot wave towering over them. He grabbed the microphone as quickly at he could. "Everybody hold on! Hold on to something!" he yelled, watching as the wave crashed down on them. The boat tilted and the metal creaked under the weight of the impact. He could hear the boys yelling at each other and things sliding around on the deck. It felt like an eternity until the water finally cleared and he was able to head count his men.

"Is everyone okay?" Phil asked. He waited as all of his boys raised their hands and gave him thumbs up. He breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, clean up the deck, make sure everything is secure and then get yourselves in here." He said, running his hand through his hair.

Ava sat up slowly on the bottom of the wheelhouse stairs, wincing as an unfamiliar pain shot up in her arm. They must have taken a pretty big wave to make her fall down half of the staircase. She crossed her legs and leaned against the wall, crossing her eyes and taking a breath. She could hear Phil shouting orders and she felt relief when he finally told them to come in. She opened her eyes and looked at her wrist. It didn't look so bad. There was already some swelling, but she could move it, and she figured the pain would go away in time. She would tell someone if it got any worse.

She slowly stood up and walked into the galley. Some of the things that had been on the table had been knocked off and they were now scattered on the floor. Ava began picking things up and cleaning things that had spilled. She heard the door slam open and looked up to see all the boys walking in, their hair dripping wet.

"Okay. I don't normally complain, but that just sucked." Jake said, bending over to pick up two coffee mugs that had rolled towards him. There were mumbles of agreement as the rest of the crews went to the staterooms to change into dry warm clothes. Jake set the two mugs on the counter and smiled at Ava,

"You okay?" he asked. Ava nodded,

"Yeah, of course I am, why wouldn't I be?" She asked. Jake shrugged,

"I don't know, I'm just asking. I'm trying out that caring brother act." He replied. Ava laughed,

"How's that working out so far?" Jake shook his head,

"I haven't made you cry yet." He said.

"I guess you could call that accomplishment." Ava said, sitting down at the table. Jake grabbed some fresh coffee and sat down across from her.

"So what did you do today to pass the time?" he asked. Ava nodded towards the wheelhouse,

"I hung out in there." She said. Jake sat up,

"Really? Did you talk to Dad?" he asked, sounding pathetically hopeful. Ava nodded,

"Sure I did." She said. And just when Jake was smiling, she continued, "But only at the very end when he kicked me out of the wheelhouse and I yelled back." Jake's smile disappeared,

"What'd you say?" she asked. Ava cocked her head to the side,

"What do you mean?"

"What'd you say to make him angry?" Ava threw up her arms,

"Why do you assume that it was me who started it?!" she exclaimed. Jake looked up pointedly at her,

"Have you heard yourself when you talk to him?" he asked. Ava paused,

"…point taken." Jake laughed. Then got up, leaving his empty coffee mug on the table,

"I'm gonna go take a shower." He stated, turning around. Ava nodded and watch him leave. She placed her hands on the table and used them to help her push herself up, but the pain in her wrist reminded her of her earlier injury. She winced and sighed, picking up Jake's empty mug and placing it in the sink. She walked to her room and smiled at Josh who was on his bed getting ready to get some sleep. She grabbed her iPod and was about to leave when he stopped her,

"Hey shorty, will you hit the lights for me?" he asked. She nodded and flicked the switch on her way out. "Thanks." She heard him say as she closed the door. She glanced up at the wheelhouse stairs, standing at the bottom. She rolled her eyes and walked up the steps carefully, making sure she didn't trip on the way.

Phil turned around when he heard noise, figuring it was one of his boys. Instead, it was his one and only girl. She didn't say anything to him as she reclaimed her chair and picked her book back up, opening it up to the page she had marked. He frowned, but turned back to face the front, paying attention to the rough seas ahead.

"Why'd you cheat on your wife with Kate?" Ava suddenly asked, placing her book gently down. Phil chuckled, he had had a feeling she would start asking questions at some point.

"Well, I met Kate back at our homeport in Kodiak." Phil said. "She was much different than Jake and Josh's mom, she had long blonde curly hair and bright blue eyes. Back then she was actually nice to talk to. I guess I don't really know…it really kind of just happened." He said. Ava leaned back in the chair, watching the high waves rock the boat back and forth.

"So you really just kind of felt like it?" she asked.

"NO!" Phil exclaimed, "It wasn't just that!

"Really?" Ava asked, "Then what was it?" Phil shrugged,

"She was nice, she listened to me…one thing led to another…" Ava could tell that Phil was beginning to get uncomfortable.

"And you got me." She said. Phil nodded,

"And I got you." He confirmed. Ava shifted and turned to face him,

"Was I a mistake to you?" she asked, not even thinking. Phil looked at her, she looked shocked that she had actually asked. He sighed, then shook his head,

"The act I committed itself was a mistake, but you Ava, you are definitely not a mistake." He said. Ava nodded and smiled softly,

"Thanks dad." She said. Phil smiled.

And then it fell silent. No words were exchanged, only the sound of the waves and the boat engine could be heard. Nearly an hour had passed by before Ava finally spoke again,

"When do we go back to Dutch?" she asked. Phil shrugged.

"Maybe in the next couple of days…depending on how much crab we get in those pots we just set." He said, looking over at her. "Why do you asked."

Ava hesitated, but looked over at him, "I think I broke me wrist."

* * *

Okay...well then....here is Chapter 5....I hope you guys enjoy it!!!

PLEASE **review!!!!! **It would be awesome! Thaanks!!!


	6. Just a Little Note

Hey guys!!!

I have like the next three chapters written, but I really wanna know if you guys like this story!

Because the last chapter didn't do as well as the last four, and that's okay :)

But just review this and tell me if I should continue this! Pleeease? xD

SO TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK!!!!!!.....and I'll love you forever :) haha


	7. Chapter 6

**Open Season**

**Disclaimer: I STILL own nothing…although sometimes I wish I did….But I don't! So yup! Don't own it!!!!! :)**

So thanks to everyone that reviewed my note!!!!! It made me really happy!!!!! Keep doing it!!!! Haha jk but seriously ;)

Alright, so here is the next chapter!!!

* * *

**Chapter 6**

Ava sat in the waiting room, bouncing her knee up and down nervously. Jake looked at her but didn't say anything. His dad had instantly turned them around after Ava had told him, much to Ava's dismay. She kept telling him not to, but he didn't listen. Ava turned to Jake,

"He didn't have to turn around, I told him he could wait. Now you guys are have to spend a longer time out there…and I don't even know if its broken or not, it could be just fine." She said. Jake laughed,

"Or it could be worse. Listen, its fine, you'll have to spend extra time out there with us too, so I think we're even." He replied. Ava looked down,

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." She said quietly.

"What do you mean by that?" Jake asked, slightly confused. Ava rolled her eyes,

"We're back in Dutch, Jake. Phil said that when we got back in Dutch, he would find somewhere for me to go." She said. Jake shook his head,

"Don't be stupid." He said, "Things are different now." Ava laughed angrily.

"I still haven't had any head way with him." She said.

"That's not true!" Jake exclaimed, "Dad turned the boat around and put the fishing at a standstill just so we could get YOU here to make sure you would be okay." Ava shrugged and leaned back in her chair, just as the nurse cam out and called her name. Ava got up and walked away from Jake, too afraid to look back at him for support.

* * *

Phil walked into the medical facility and looked around for Jake and Ava, soon spotting Jake sitting down next to him, taking a breath. "How long she been back there?" he asked.

"About ten minutes." Jake answered. Phil nodded and said nothing else. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Jake looked at his dad,

"She's scared, dad." He said. Phil looked at him carefully,

"Why would she be scared? It's just a wrist." Jake looked at him in disbelief,

"She's scared your gonna get rid of her!" Jake said.

"Oh." Phil said, bouncing his knee, just like Ava had earlier. Jake laughed bitterly,

"God…you two are so much alike and you don't even notice." Phil didn't say anything. "You're not getting rid of her dad." Jake said, knowing that Phil didn't like to be told what to do. Phil shook his head,

"No…I'm not." He said. Jake looked at him, slightly shocked. That was not the answer that he had been preparing for.

"Really?!" Jake asked. Phil nodded slowly,

"Being in the wheelhouse by myself for so long made me think about a bunch of things. I can't give her away, I can't let her go again." He added quietly. Jake smiled,

"You need to tell her this dad. She needs to know…because right now…she is terrified." Phil nodded and looked at him,

"You two have gotten so close." He said. Jake nodded,

"I never knew what I had till she was gone. Now we all have a second chance with her, we need to make it count." He said. Phil smiled,

"Why don't you head on back to the boat, I'll bring her back in one piece." Phil said, slapping Jake on the shoulder. Jake smiled and stood up,

"Talk to her gently and don't raise your voice, 'cause then she'll get defensive and it will all go downhill from there." He said. Phil laughed,

"Who's the father here, me or you?" he asked. Jake laughed,

"Brother knows best." He said over his shoulder as he walked away.

* * *

Ava walked out into the waiting room looking for Jake, but she didn't see him anywhere. Then she saw Phil and her heart instantly dropped to her stomach. She slowly walked over to him.

"Hey." He said, "How'd it go?" he asked. She held up her arm, which was now enclosed by a brace,

"Just a sprain." She said quietly, "Sorry I made you turn around for nothing." She quickly added. Phil shook his head,

"No, you never made me do it, I wanted to make sure it was nothing serious. It was definitely not for nothing." He explained.

"But you would have never done that for any of the boys." She said. Phil nodded,

"You're right, I wouldn't have, but you're different…I don't know…" he said. Ava smiled,

"Awww, you're trying." She said as he stood up next to her, slightly flustered.

"I'm just saying." He said, heading for the door, Ava quickly following him.

"So…we're going back to the boat right? We're not making any stops on the way?" She asked nervously. Phil shook his head,

"Not that I know of, we're going straight back." He said. Ava kept fishing,

"And we're staying there right?" Phil stopped and looked at her.

"You have nowhere else to go! Kate doesn't want you anymore and you have nowhere else to go! You're my daughter too! I can't let you go again, because I don't think our family can handle loosing you a second time." Phil said, loudly and nervously. Ava didn't know what to say. She stood there for a second, then looked up at him,

"So I can stay?!" she exclaimed. Phil smiled,

"Of course you can, I wouldn't have it any other way." He said. Ava squealed and jumped up and down, wrapping her arms around his neck and giving him a hug. Phil was shocked at first but quickly returned it.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she squealed. Phil laughed,

"Okay, okay, I get it, you're happy!" he said. Ava nodded enthusiastically.

"You bet I am!" she exclaimed. Phil laughed and began walking again,

"Lets head back to the docks, okay?" Ava smiled and walked after him.

* * *

As they reached the docks, Ava looked at all the boats that were docked in Dutch Harbor. She was extremely surprised to see the Northwestern a few boats away. She smiled and looked over at Phil hopefully. Phil sighed,

"Go, but I want to leave soon." He shouted. Ava had already begun running. "You know, it's not safe to run on the docks!" he shouted, chuckling as she flipped him the finger. "That's my girl." He said under his breath, stuffing his hands in his pockets and slowly walked towards the Cornelia Marie.

* * *

Only using one hand, Ava still managed to gracefully jump onto the deck of the Northwestern. Matt glanced over his shoulder, hearing the sound that her converse made when the landed on the wooden deck.

"Hey! How are—What happened to your arm!?" he asked. She shook her head,

"It was nothing, we hit a wave." She said.

"By the looks of that, I think the wave hit YOU." Edgar said, walking up behind Matt.

"Shut up!" she said, smiling at him. Then she frowned,

"What are YOU doing back in Dutch?" she asked. Edgar shook his head,

"For the first time in a long time…we had an engine problem that I couldn't find and fix." He said.

"It was a sad day for fishermen everywhere." Matt joked, shacking his head. Edgar glared and shoved him playfully.

"What are you doing on my deck?!" Sig shouted from the wheelhouse door, stepping out near the hydraulics. Ava looked up and shrugged,

"I just saw this pretty boat and—"

"Pretty? Did you just call my boat pretty?" Sig asked, interrupting her before she could say anymore. Ava laughed and nodded. Sig shook his head and walked back into the wheelhouse. Edgar laughed and looked back at Ava,

"So you wanna tell me what happened with your arm?" he asked. "Ava shrugged.

"There's really nothing to tell, I promise. We took a pretty big wave that almost tipped us over and I was in the wheelhouse stairwell at the time, I just kind of rolled down them…if you really think about it…it's kinda funny." She said smiling.

"Well I'm glad you're okay." Matt said, patting her on the shoulder before walking over to Jake who was working on fixing something on the opposite end of the deck. She met his eyes for a moment and smiled. He smiled back and waved at her, making her blush. She looked back at Edgar. Edgar raised his eyebrows and glanced at Jake, then back at her, but he said nothing.

"So how long do you think you'll be in for?" she asked. Edgar winced,

"Hopefully we'll be able to leave tomorrow, if not, then Sig is going to explode." He said. Ava nodded,

"Yeah, Phil doesn't like to be stuck in port for long." She said, "And speaking of Phil, I should probably be heading back." She added. Edgar nodded,

"Yeah, probably…it's been nice seeing shorty." He said.

"You too." She said, smiling and giving him a quick hug before waving at the wheelhouse. "See you later Matt!" she shouted. Matt waved at her,

"Don't be a stranger for TOO long now." He said. Ava smirked,

"Only to you, Matt." She said. He quickly flipped her off before getting back to work. Ava chuckled then turned back to Edgar. He was smiling at her. "Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked. He shrugged,

"You've definitely grown up." He said, patting her head. She raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms,

"Did you just pat my head….like a dog?" she asked. Edgar laughed and shoved her closer to the railing,

"Get back to your own boat woman." He said. Ava laughed and jumped back over onto the dock.

"You suck!" she said, pointing directly at him. Edgar smiled and pointed right back at her,

"Go home." Ava laughed and turned around, heading back to the Cornelia Marie. But she heard footsteps behind her.

"Hey! Wait up!"

* * *

And that would be the end of this chapter….but I will definitely post the next one within the next two days ;) It's already written, I just have to type it up and all that fun stuff.

So tell me what you think about it!!!!! Please **REVIEW!!!!! **

Reviewing is a good thing and it makes EVERYONE happy!!!! Especially me!!! xD haha


	8. Chapter 7

**Open Season**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing :( eeehhh xD haha**

Okay, here is chapter 7, I think it's probably the worst one that I have written but I hope you guys like it :/ I had my 2 friends at school read it first and they both love it a bunch, but I don't know if its good enough for you guys xD blaaaaah, so I hope you like it! REVIEW IT!!! xD jk ;)

* * *

**Chapter 7**

Ava turned around and frowned,

"What do you want?" she asked, slightly confused. Jake shrugged his shoulders,

"I never got to thank you for, you know…"

"What? Helping you find the boat?" Ava asked. Jake nodded. Ava smiled, "it was nothing. Really." She answered. Jake smiled back,

"Well thanks any ways." He said.

"Uh huh, anytime." She turned around and began walking, but Jake caught her arm, stopping her again. She turned back to him with a questioning look on her face.

"Who are you?" Jake asked. Ava raised her eyebrows,

"I'm pretty sure I told you my name was Ava." She replied, smirking at him. Jake rolled his eyes,

"Yeah, I know that, I mean, how do you know them? What are they so comfortable around with you?" he asked. Ava smiled,

"My dad's Phil Harris, the captain of the Cornelia Marie." She explained.

"Well that explains it." Jake said, nodding slowly. Ava laughed,

"Well." She said, "I need to head on back. Phil doesn't like to stay in port for too long." Jake nodded,

"Yeah, that's pretty much the same thinking of every captain out here." He said. She laughed,

"I'll see you around, Jake." She said, turning around. Jake smiled and watched as she quickly made her way down to the Cornelia Marie.

"You do know the consequences of going after a captains daughter…right?" Edgar asked, coming up from behind him. Jake looked over at him,

"I have NO idea what you're talking about." He said, smirking. Edgar chuckled, throwing his arm over his shoulder as he guided him back towards the boat.

"Yeah…whatever Junior."

* * *

Ava jumped over the railing and landed on both feet, but with all the water that had accumulated on deck, they quickly slipped from under her and she landed flat on her butt. She started laughing so hard, she was almost unable to breathe. Josh, who had seen the whole thing from the wheelhouse, appeared from the door.

"That was real smooth kid." He said, as he grabbed her good hand and helped her stand up.

"Yeah…" she said, "It felt smooth." Josh laughed as she rubbed her backside.

"I'm sure it did." He said. Ava groaned but continued to walk with him back inside. "So you were down at the Northwestern?" he asked. Ava nodded. "What are they in for?"

"They had an engine problem that couldn't be fixed out at sea." She answered. Josh nodded and then reached out, gently taking her arm,

"Does it hurt?" he asked quietly. Ava shook her head,

"Not so much." She said, "I mean, it is slightly uncomfortable, but once I start doing stuff and taking my mind off things, I kind of forget about it." Josh let go of her arm and walked into the galley. Ava watched him walk away from her, slightly confused. She quickly followed him, "Is something wrong?" she asked. Josh sighed,

"Why didn't you tell me? Do you now trust me enough or something?" Ava took a step back, he looked so angry.

"I just didn't want Phil to know. I thought if I told you, you would tell him." She explained. Josh's expression softened, but not by much.

"Next time something like that happens, you need to tell someone Ava, right away." Ava glared,

"You're not my dad Josh." She said angrily.

"I know I'm not your dad, but I still worry about you!" he shouted.

"Hey!" Both Ava and Josh turned looked over. "What is going on here?" Jake asked, looking between the two of them.

"Nothing." Josh answered, walking towards their room.

"Josh…" Ava said quietly, trying to stop him from walking away. Josh stopped at the sound of her voice. He sighed, and turned around, "I'm sorry for not telling you." She said. Josh shook his head,

"No, you don't have to be sorry, I overreacted." Jake nodded,

"You can say that again." Josh sent him a glare, but said nothing.

"I just worry about you, this isn't the best environment for you to be in." Ava smiled,

"But I have you, so have some faith." Josh laughed and walked up to her, giving her a hug, then patting her on the head. She looked up at him,

"Really?" she exclaimed, "Twice in one day." She muttered under her breath as she turned around and headed towards the wheelhouse.

* * *

Phil looked over at Ava as she walked in and sat in her usual chair. "I saw that spill you took out there on the deck, I bet that felt good." He said, laughing to himself. Ava grimaced,

"It most definitely did not." She said. Phil chuckled and turned back to concentrate on getting the boat safely out of the Harbor. They were barely out of the Harbor when the satellite phone rang. Phil looked at it, then leaned over and picked it up.

"Yeah, his is Phil.' She said.

"Hey man. Its Edgar." Phil frowned,

"Hey…what can I do for you?" he asked.

"Can I talk to Ava for just a second?" Edgar asked. Phil looked over at her and she just looked back questioningly. He motioned for her to come over, so she did.

"Phone's for you." He said, handing it to her, turning on auto pilot after setting his course. He got up and began walking away. Ava's eyes widened,

"Hey! Where do you think you're going!" she exclaimed. Phil turned back,

"Just sit in the chair, and if anything bad happens, just shout for me over the intercom." Ava's eyes were still wide, but she slowly sat down in the chair, bring the phoned to her ear.

"Hello?" she asked, not knowing who it was.

"Hey shortie." Edgar said. Ava smiled.

"You just missed me didn't you?" she asked. Edgar chuckled,

"Not even close." He replied. Ava laughed,

"Well…what do you want then?" she asked. Edgar's voice turned more serious,

"You do know that he's older than you? By a lot."

"What are you talking about?" Ava asked.

"You know who I'm talking about, Ava." Ava sighed,

"Yeah, I know he's older."

"There we go! Now she gets it!" he said sarcastically.

"Edgar…" Ava started, but Edgar kept talking,

"This cant happen, Ava, and I think you know that." Ava frowned. "Even YOU are smarter than this." Edgar continued.

"What is THAT supposed to mean?" Ava defended.

"Don't change the subject." Edgar said. Ava laughed bitterly,

"Take your own advice buddy." Edgar paused,

"Just leave it alone Ava, don't go there."

"Who are you to tell me what to do?" she exclaimed.

"Ava, shut up and listen to yourself! This is why people always leave you!" Ava took a sharp breath. She felt the water build up in her eyes, but she quickly reached up and wiped them away.

"I have to go." She said, as she quickly slammed the phone down, hanging up on him before he could say anything else. She stared out at the vast stretch of water. Her hands were shaking and she hadn't even realized it. She clenched them into fists and bounced her knee up and down, trying to keep from crying. Once she felt like she had composed herself enough, she called Phil over the hailer,

"Hey, Phil, I'm ready to come back down." Moments later, Phil emerged from the staircase.

"So what did Edgar want?" he asked. Ava shrugged,

"You know, the usual." Phil could tell that there was something more to it, but he didn't push. He smiled,

"Well, why don't you go down and get some sleep. You haven't gotten a lot of it lately." He said. Ava nodded and began to walk away, but she paused at the doorway,

"…I love you, dad." She said quietly. Phil looked at her, but didn't say anything. He nodded shortly and turned back around. Ava looked up to keep her tears in her eyes. She hurried down the stairs and quickly into her stateroom, thankful that Jake and Josh weren't there. She kicked off her jeans that she had been wearing, and pulled on a pair of sweat pants, not even bothering to change the long sleeve t-shirt that she had been wearing for a while now.

She put her iPod ear buds in her ears and slowly crawled into her bunk, lying on her side. She pulled the blanket up to her chin and curled up. She stared at the wall, listening to her music for almost an hour before the tears started to fall freely, silently crying. The rejection that she felt from Phil was like the last hit that she could take. Maybe Edgar had been right. WERE people always leaving her?

She mentally began to kick herself, 'stop crying, you idiot' she thought, 'it's not the end of the world. Your on the boat with them, what more do you want?' Ava wiped her eyes and sniffed, 'oh yeah, I want a family.' She thought. She sighed as she was finally able to pull herself together, and for the first time in a while, she fell asleep without any trouble.

* * *

And that would be the end of chapter 7, i was kind of feeling off about this one, but i hope you still like it anyway :/ so you should let me know how you like it!!! it would be really awesome! haha Thanks to all the people who have reviewed so far! I look forward to them every chapter! xD

REVIEW!!!!!!! thanks ;)


	9. Chapter 8

**Open Season**

**Disclaimer: I still own nothing :( grrrr xD**

Haha okay, se here is the next chapter :) sorry that it has taken so long to update :) Please READ and REVIEW!!!!! Hahahaha xD thanks!!!

* * *

**Chapter 8**

Ava woke up to the sound of an alarm ringing. She sat up quickly, looking around. Jake and Josh weren't in the room. She stumbled out of bed, feeling for a sweatshirt, not really caring whose it was. She finally found one and dragged it on, then started fumbling to the door in the dark. The blaring sound of the alarm was disorienting her to a certain extent. By the movement of the boat, she could tell that Phil was weathering through a storm. Emerging from her room, she still couldn't see anything. The galley was completely dark. Ava strained her ears and listened, and then she realized that she couldn't hear the boats engine. She could hear some of the boys shouting, they were probably down in the engine room. Using her hands, Ava guided herself towards the wheelhouse stairs. After tripping over a few things, she finally reached the bottom of them and she slowly and carefully made her way up them. The first thing that she noticed when she reached the top was that the sodium lights weren't on either. She held on tightly to the chair that she usually sat in. They were sitting dead in the water; waves were hitting them on all sides.

"What's going on?" She asked. Phil looked over at her surprised; he hadn't even heard her come up.

"Come here." He said, motioning for her to come over towards him. Ava slowly made her way over. Phil maneuvered her so that she was standing between him and the wheelhouse wall to the right of him.

"What going on, dad?" she asked again, holding on tightly to the arm of his chair.

"I'm not sure, our electricity just went completely out, along with our engines." He said.

"How does that happen!" Ava exclaimed frantically. Phil put his hand on hers on the chair,

"Just calm down, I've got Murray down there. He's the best, this should all be over with soon." Phil said, trying to get her to calm down. Ava glanced out the windows. Darkness surrounded them on all sides and she could barely see anything. This somehow seemed to make her panic even more. She heard footsteps pounding up the stairs, and she strained her eyes to see who was coming.

"Hey, Murray thinks he know what happened, he's gonna try something and then have you fire her up." Phil sighed.

"How long is it going to take? I don't like having the boat out here in the storm like this." Jake nodded,

"Yeah I know, he said he needed ten to fifteen minutes, it's the best he could do." Phil grunted.

"Tell him to do better, if we don't fix this soon, we're all going to be dead." Ava's grip on her dad's hand tightened. Phil glanced at her, but then looked back at Jake. "Well? What are you waiting for! Get down there and help him!" Phil said, raising his voice. Jake nodded, then hurried quickly away. Ava began to fidget nervously. She wasn't used to this, this wasn't how she had always lived. This wasn't normal for her, and she was scared. Phil stayed completely silent. Ten minutes passed by and there was still no word from the engine room. Ava's eyes were wide as she watched, and heard, wave after wave beat down on the boat. She couldn't watch this anymore. She wished she was back in her bunk, still asleep and completely unaware of what was going on. She wished she was back on dry land. For the first time in her life, she wished she was back with Kate. And just at that moment, at her lowest point, Ava heard Jake shout up the stairs,

"Fire it up!" Phil took a deep breath,

"Here goes nothing." Ava squeezed her eyes shut tight as Phil turned the main on. Finally, she heard the engine roar. The lights in the wheelhouse flew on, and slowly, the sodium lights turned up. Ava's grip on her dad loosened as she leaned against the wall. Murray emerged from the stair well and stood beside Phil, looking at the computers.

"How far off course did we drift?" Phil pushed a couple buttons and shook his head,

"Not far, what was up with the engine?" he asked. Murray shrugged,

"All I did was patch it up. We need to get back to Dutch. I don't know how long it's going to hold, and I don't know if I'll be able to fix it again." He explained.

"Shit." Phil said under his breath. "We just got back out here. This is going to put us even farther in the hole." Phil said. Ava winced, she felt like that was partially her fault. Murray nodded,

"I understand, but I don't think it's a smart idea to stay out here." Phil ran his hands through his hair,

"Alright, I'll set a course. Go tell the guys. It really shouldn't take us that long to get back. Murray nodded and walked out of the wheelhouse. Phil looked back over at Ava,

"How are you? You okay?" Ava nodded,

"Yeah I'm fine." Phil nodded, then turned back to the controls.

"Why don't you go on back down and help out with something.

"Okay." Ava said. She walked back around the captain's chair and towards the door.

"And Ava?" Phil said, stopping her, "…I do love you…I just have a shitty way of letting you know it." Ava sighed,

"Yeah, you do." She said. "But…I guess that's what makes you my dad." Phil smiled at her,

"Good, that's all cleared up, now get down there and be useful." Ava rolled her eyes, smiling,

"Whatever."

* * *

Ava walked back down to the galley, noticing that all the guys were sitting around the table talking about God only knows what. Josh looked up at her, "Hey, were you up with dad?" he asked. Ava nodded and glanced at Jake who was giving her a weird look.

"…What?" she asked. He smirked,

"Are you wearing my sweatshirt?" he asked. Ava looked down at the sweatshirt and looked back up slowly,

"…yes?" she said, sounding more like a question then a statement. Jake started to laugh,

"Why are you wearing that thing?" Ava shrugged,

"It was dark…I couldn't see what I was grabbing." She answered, smiling sheepishly. Dave came up from behind her and put his hands on her shoulders,

"Now you can call yourself a true Harris…swapping clothes…who knows, maybe tomorrow it will be doing each others hair and painting each others nails." Ava wacked at him,

"Go away!" she exclaimed.

"So we're heading back to port?" Dave asked. The whole crew nodded. Dave sighed,

"Man, we are totally behind this year." Josh nodded,

"Yeah, I hope this is the last problem that we run into, or there's no way that we're making our quota this year." Ava crossed the room and slid in next to Jake, who shook his head,

"We need to make our quota, and we need to be positive about it. We've got this guys, don't worry about all the setbacks." Ava rolled her eyes and put her head down on the table. Could this possibly get any worse? Her dad was probably pissed and all the guys were disappointed. But the thing was, she was disappointed too. This was her family now and when they were down, for some weird and strange reason, she felt down. Maybe Edgar had been right about one thing, she definitely was growing up.

"Ava?"

Ava was snapped out of her thoughts and she sat up quickly, looking over at Jake.

"What?" she asked.

"We're playing cards. Murray sucks, Dave doesn't know the difference between spades and clubs, and Josh is sure to cheat…you in?" Ava laughed and nodded,

"Who wouldn't be?"

* * *

Jake tossed the line down to the man standing on the docks, who was ready to tie down the boat. Ava stood patiently on the decks. Phil had given her a list of things he wanted her to get at the grocery store. He figured if they were going to be stuck in port, they might as well make the best of it. Josh came up beside her and nudged her,

"Will you grab some cigarettes for me while you're down there?" he asked. Ava shrugged,

"I don't know what you and dad are thinking, I'm only 16, it's illegal for me to get those for you…and over half of this list is different kinds of cigarettes." Josh thought for a second,

"…How 'bout I come with you then?" Ava nodded.

"Okay, that would actually be great, cause there is no way that I would have been able to carry all this back by myself." She exclaimed. Josh smiled,

"You would have found a way." He said, "Why don't you go ahead and get a head start." Ava rolled her eyes but nodded and walked over to the rail. Jake was leaning against it, watching her walk forward,

"You need some help getting over?" he asked. Ava raised her eyebrows,

"My wrist is sprained…it's not like I've lost ALL of my skill." She said smirking at him. Jake laughed,

"Just the ones that count…" he said as he watched her perfectly jump onto the dock. She looked back at him and shrugged, walking backwards,

"Yeah, I still got it." She said smirking. Jake flipped her off and she laughed, turning around and walking back towards the town. Josh came up beside Jake,

"She heading out?" he asked.

"I guess." Jake said, "But before you leave you need to go check on how we're doing on bait." Josh rolled his eyes, but slowly went over to do what he was told.

* * *

Ava was surprised at how busy the store was today. She'd only ever been here once or twice, but both of those times it had been pretty empty. She grabbed a cart and slowly pushed it down the first aisle. The list that she was given was slightly confusing. Most of it was cigarettes and coffee. She decided that she would just start with the coffee.

She stared at the different choices of coffee, not really sure which one she should get. What if she got the wrong one?

"I'd go with this one." Ava looked up next to her and saw Edgar handing her a can. Her heart sank a little. He was the last person she had wanted to see here. She nodded and gently took the can from him, placing it in the cart. Edgar sighed,

"Don't be mad with me." He said. Ava didn't look up. Edgar walked up so that he was right in front of her, forcing her to look at him, "I'm sorry." He said. She looked up at him and noticed that his eyes almost looked like they were begging. She frowned, Edgar was never the type to apologize, let alone beg. Ava sighed, then shifted around him so that she could grab more of the cans.

"Whatever Edgar, it's fine. Edgar rolled his eyes,

"Oh yeah, its definitely all fine." He retorted. Ava straightened up and glared at him,

"What you said hurt me Ed, how can it possibly be alright?" she asked. Edgar reached up and rubbed his chin.

"Come on Ava, lets just both forget about it." Ava sharply looked away,

"I. Can't. Do that." She said slowly. Edgar grimaced,

"Come on shortie…" he said softly. Ava shook her head again,

"I can't do that, because…what you said was true." Edgar frowned. "I'm quick to snap. I don't want to listen to what others have to say. People around me…leave all the time." Edgar shook his head,

"No they don't." he tried, but Ava stopped him,

"Kate left once she got bored. Jake left when he got mad at me for not being around. Phil left when he didn't fight for me…and you…you were the one person who I never wanted to loose." Edgar ran his hand through his hair, not really sure what to say next. "But I forgive you." She said. Edgar looked at her,

"What?" he asked, unsure of what she had actually said.

"You were like a dad to me when Phil wasn't." she said, "So I forgive you." Edgar smiled,

"I am sorry." He offered. Ava nodded and set three more cans of coffee in the cart.

"You wanna help me interpret the rest of this list?" she asked hopefully. Edgar nodded,

"Yeah I do." Ava smiled and pushed the cart forward, Edgar walking beside her.

"And just for the record kid," Edgar said, throwing his arm around her shoulders, "I'm not goin' anywhere."

* * *

Blah okay, so that was the end of this chapter...I actually think I did good on this one, but I could be wrong on this one, so you should let me know by REVIEWING!!!! Please? haha

Alright, Thanks for reading guys!!!! I love you all!!!!!! haha xD

REVIEW!


	10. Chapter 9

**Open Season**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story…accept for Ava…but not the ones that count…I own nothing. :(**

Okay, sorry it's been a while! But it's finally here now! Haha I hope you like this chapter! I wasn't really sure how to write it…so I hope you like it guys :/

All right….well here it goes….

* * *

**Chapter 9**

Ava was standing by the checkout line. Her and Edgar had finished getting everything and they were ready to leave, but Josh wasn't there yet, and Ava still needed to get the cigarettes.

"You know…I am an adult. I could just get them for you." Edgar offered.

"I know, but Josh said he was going to be here." Ava replied, looking out the door. Edgar nodded,

"I know, but maybe something came up back at the boat, that happens all the time…trust me." Edgar said. Ava sighed,

"All right fine, but will you help me get all this crap back to the docks?" she asked.

"Well I've helped you out this far, may as well keep it up." Ava rolled her eyes, but smiled gratefully.

"Thanks."

* * *

As Edgar went to buy the cigarettes, Ava stepped off to the side and pulled out her cell phone, dialing her dad's number. It rang four times before he picked up,

"Yeah." He answered.

"Hey. Is Josh still there?" she asked.

"Yeah." Phil answered. "He needed to go out and get more bait. I just wanted to be on the safe side."

"Okay." Ava said, "Tell him that he doesn't need to come down anymore. Edgars with me so it's all good." Ava finished.

"Alright, I'll let him know." Phil said, "See you when you get back."

"Yup." Ava said, before she hung up. She turned around and saw Edgar walking up to her, he handed her about five of the bags that he was holding.

"You ready to go?" he asked. Ava nodded and fell into step next to him as they walked through the doors and into the cold frigid air. Edgar glanced over,

"So why are you guys back? You were only gone for like, a day and a half." Ava nodded.

"Our engine totally failed on us. We were dead in a storm." Edgar's eyes widened.

"Are you serious?!" he exclaimed. Ava nodded again.

"What about you? Why are you STILL here?" she asked. Edgar laughed,

"The engine needed major repairs. More than we thought it did." He explained. Ava laughed,

"I bet Sig is NOT happy about that." Edgar shook his head,

"He's livid. He's on a blind rampage half the time." Ava chuckled.

"I can imagine." Edgar smiled,

"…So Jake's been asking about you." Ava's smile faltered at the change of subject. She nodded. Edgar sighed softly, "You should come over to the boat for a little while after we drop these off…you could talk with him if you want." Ava looked up at him,

"I thought you said—"

"Forget what I said." Edgar said, cutting her off. Ava glanced up, Edgar sighed, "Just…forget what I said and talk to the kid. There's only so much talk about you that I can take." Ava laughed and playfully ran into him, knocking him slightly off balance.

"Whatever, you know you love me." Edgar rolled his eyes, but smiled nonetheless.

* * *

Upon arriving at the boat, both Ava and Edgar jumped on, Ava struggling a little to keep hold of all the bags with one arm in a brace. Josh came up and shook Edgar's hand smiling.

"Hey man, thanks for helping her with those." Edgar waved it off,

"It was nothing." Jake came up and grabbed the bags from Edgar's hands, and him and Ava walked quickly into the galley. Ava dropped her bags on the counter,

"Hey, can you put these away? I have to go ask dad something." Jake nodded,

"Sure." Ava smiled and ran towards the wheelhouse stairs. Jake laughed and shook his head.

"Hey dad!" she exclaimed, only halfway up the stairs. Phil was standing at the top looking out on deck. He turned around,

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Can I go over to the boat with Edgar?" she asked.

"Yeah I guess, just be back at a decent time." Ava smiled,

"It's not like we're going anywhere." She said. Phil glared at her and shoed her away. Jake looked up at her as she came back down the stairs,

"Where are you off to in such a hurry?" he asked.

"Going with Edgar." She said. Jake nodded slowly,

"Why are you going over there?" he asked. Ava shrugged,

"I just wanna say hi to Sig and the guys." She answered simply. Jake looked at her,

"I have a question." He said. "When did you get so close to them?" Ava shrugged,

"I don't know, when I was younger?" she said, wondering where he was going with this whole thing.

"I just don't understand, I guess." Jake continued. Ava sighed,

"What don't you understand, Jake?" she asked.

"I don't understand how you guys got so close. When did you ever see each other?" he asked. Now Ava knew what he was asking. "I mean, it took us what…ten years to get as close as you are to Edgar?" Ava raised her eyebrow,

"Are you jealous?" she asked, smiling at him. Jake glared at her,

"I'm being serious, Ava. I want to know." Ava frowned, but walked back towards him.

"Remember when dad used to get me for the holidays?" she asked. Jake nodded.

"Remember how you guys were never home on the holidays, so I always came a few weeks before you left for King crab season?" she asked again. Jake nodded.

"And do you remember how you and dad could never talk to me whenever I visited?" Jake frowned at her, but still nodded.

"I hated when you wouldn't talk to me. I hated it so much, because I felt so alone." She said. "So when you and dad were busy hating me, I went down to the docks. I went down to the docks and I sat on a bench and stared at the water. Somehow the water made me feel better." She said.

"That still doesn't explain anything." Ava raised and eyebrow,

"Wanna let me finish?" she asked. Jake smirked at her.

"Anyway. Sig and Edgar were always down at the docks, always doing something with the boat…you know how they are." Ava said smiling. Jake laughed, he definitely knew how they were, everybody did.

"Well they eventually started to wonder why I showed up in the same exact spot at the same exact time every single year. They probably thought that I was crazy or something."

"Well their not far off." Jake said under his breath. Ava shot him a look.

"Moving on." She said. "They eventually just came down and asked me what the heck I was doing on the docks." She said, "And you know how Sig is…he really has no people skills…but when you're young, he can be very scary." She explained, "So I told him everything." She said. Jake raised his eyebrow,

"Everything?" he asked. She nodded.

"Everything. I told him about Kate, and how much I hated her…resented her. I told them about Phil and you…about how you guys never talked to me. I told them about Josh. I told the everything." Jake nodded,

"And naturally, the fact that you shared all this personal information made you all best friends for life, right?" Ava smiled and shook her head.

"No, that took some time." She said. Jake nodded. Ava looked at him curiously, "Are you sure you're not jealous?" she asked. Jake rolled his eyes,

"I'm positive, I just wanted to know. It seems like they're a big part of your life." Ava nodded,

"They are." She said, smiling. Jake sighed,

"I don't think I will ever be able to tell you how sorry I am for not being there for you." He said. Ava smiled,

"I think you already have." She said. "And I think you've mastered that caring brother thing…I mean, there's no more fail anymore." Jake laughed and shoved her through the door, following her out onto the deck. Edgar was still deep in conversations with Josh. Ava stopped and tilted her head to the side,

"What so you think they could possibly be talking about for so long?" she asked. Jake looked at her,

"Either fishing…or girls." He said simply. Ava rolled her eyes and began pushing Edgar away.

"He enjoyed talking to you Josh, but he likes talking to me better…what can I say, I'm cuter." She said, smiling back at them as she pushed Edgar closer and closer to the rail. Edgar chuckled as he let her believe that she was actually stronger than him. He reached up and waved at Jake and Josh,

"I'll have her back later." He said. Jake shook his head,

"No need to rush it!" he said, smirking. Josh elbowed Jake, but he was still laughing. Ava rolled her eyes and jumped onto the dock next to Edgar.

"Let's go, let's go, let's go!" she said, still pushing him. Edgar laughed,

"You're just bossy today aren't you?" he asked. Ava shrugged,

"Shut up and move dude!" she exclaimed. Edgar smiled and rolled his eyes.

"Ok, ok, I'm going!"

* * *

And there you have it, the end of Chapter 9! I think the next chapter will get into her and Jake a lot….

Tell me what you think about that idea please!!!!!! I want to know if I should continue and if you guys like this story! :)

So **REVIEW!!!!** Please :)

Thanks!


	11. Chapter 10

**Open Season**

**Disclaimer: I still own nothing, but if that changes, I'll let you know :) haha just kidding! ;)**

Hey guys! I know this is really late and it's been so long and stuff, but real life has been a big issue, but I'm here, and that's what counts! Haha So this is the next chapter, I really hope that you guys like this chapter, it's been a long time coming. :)

I just wrote that new story, and Chapter 4 of Still breathing will be added in the next couple of days! I promise! I hope this is good! haha xD 3

* * *

**Chapter 10**

The Northwestern was literally right in front of them. Ava smiled and pulled Edgar along with her. Edgar laughed,

"You're more excited to get to my boat then I am." He said.

"It's because I've been stuck on the Cornelia Marie. I need a change of scenery!" she said. Edgar frowned,

"So you go from one boat…to another? That's not much of a change." He said smiling. Ava rolled her eyes,

"I mean a change of people." She said. Edgar shook his head,

"So you trading your semi-calm family for a Norwegian whose head could explode at any second?" he asked. Ava nodded,

"I think I'll take my chances." She said. He smiled,

"You're crazy."

Ava jumped down on the boat first, glad that she didn't slip this time around. Edgar came down beside her, waving at Matt who was leaning against the rail having a smoke.

"Hey Ava, long time no see." He said smirking. Ava frowned at him,

"Believe me dude, by the end of today, you'll be glad that we're not on the same boats." She said, winking at him. Matt chuckled,

"I don't find that hard to believe at all." He said, handing Edgar a cigarette. Edgar gratefully took it and lit it with the lighter that he took out of his pocket. He looked up at Ava and lifted his head up towards the wheelhouse,

"Sig is up there, he can probably tell you where Junior is." He said smirking. Ava threw him a look before turning around, flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder. Edgar chuckled, "Do that in front of him and he'll be yours forever!" he shouted. Ava turned around and flipped him off. Edgar laughed and looked at Matt, "She sure is a charming young woman, isn't she?"

Ava rolled her eyes, but continued on her way to the wheelhouse. Sig was, as usual, running his hands through his hair and looking completely run down. Ava frowned,

"You look like crap." She commented. Sig turned around, not having noticed that she had even walked in.

"What are you doing here? And thanks." He said, glaring at her. Ava smiled and gave him a small graceful curtsey,

"We're back in own, had some technical difficulties." She explained, "Now I'm pretty much here to talk with you." Sig raised his eyebrows,

"You mean Junior." He said pointedly. Ava smirked,

"Or him." She said shrugging. Sig rolled his eyes,

"He's downstairs in the galley cooking lunch for the guys." He said. Ava chuckled,

"Of course he is." She said, rolling her eyes, heading downstairs, carefully taking them two at a time. As she emerged at the bottom, she caught site of Jake standing next to the stove, flipping what looked like hamburgers. She smiled, and coughed lightly. Jake looked up to see who had come in, smiling slightly when he met Ava's eyes.

"What are you doing here?" he asked lightly. Ava smiled and shrugged, walking over to sit down at the galley table,

"Nothing really, Cornelia Marie's in for repairs, I just thought I'd come over and say hi." She said.

"Well hi." Jake said, turning back to the hamburgers. Ava pulled her legs up so that she could sit Indian style,

"Do they always make you cook?" she asked. Jake shook his head,

"It's mostly Matt, but I decided to take this one and give him a break." He explained. Ava nodded,

"Well that was nice of you." She said. Jake put the burgers on a plate and set it down on the counter, then turned all the way towards her, leaning against the refrigerator door,

"What are you doing here Ava?" he asked, a hint of a smile barely visible on his face. Ava stood up and slowly walked to the edge of the counter,

"I told you, I just wanted to say hi." She said quietly. Jake pushed himself off of the refrigerator door and slowly made his way to the opposite end of the counter, leaning onto it, their faces closer than Ava had intended them to ever be. She cocked her head to the side and smiled.

"Well, you already said hi." Jake said, barely over a whisper. Ava smirked,

"Oh come on, you can't say you don't enjoy my company." She said, looking into his blue eyes. He shrugged, making Ava laugh silently. Jake reached up and tucked a piece of her blonde hair behind her ear. Ava blushed lightly and looked away. Jake leaned back and smiled,

"You wanna stay for lunch? You can have my second burger." He offered. Ava raised her eyebrow,

"Your second one?" she asked. Jake nodded,

"Yeah, I make everyone two. We tend to eat a lot of food." He said. Ava rolled her eyes,

"I know that." She said. Jake chuckled,

"So what do you say?" he asked. Ava pretended to think for a minute before she nodded her head,

"I guess I could stay for a little while, it's not like the boats goin' anywhere." She said. Jake smiled,

"Good. Now go get everyone and let them know it's time to eat." Ava rolled her eyes but obediently walked back up the wheelhouse stairs to tell Sig.

* * *

Edgar stretched his arms over his head after he finished his lunch and glanced at Ava,

"Well kid? I told your old man I'd get you back at a decent time." He said. Ava rolled her eyes,

"It's not even dark yet." She said. Edgar chuckled,

"Don't argue with me, you know what happens to people who argue with me." He said. Ava smiled,

"Yeah, yeah. Fine, I'll meet you up on deck kay?" she said. Edgar shrugged and got up, dropping his plate off in the sink before following Matt upstairs to the deck. Sig nodded at her and ruffled her hair,

"It was nice to have you over for lunch." He said. Ava smiled,

"I knew deep down you loved me!" she exclaimed. Sig rolled his eyes,

"And now I'm over it." He murmured, shaking his head and walking back up to the wheelhouse. Norman and Nick both waved at her before walking up to join Edgar and Matt on deck. Jake looked at Ava,

"It was nice to have you for lunch." He said,

"I knew deep down you loved me." She joked, smiling at him. Jake smiled and walked forward, gently placing his hand behind her head,

"Something like that." He said quietly before gently pulling her forward, pressing his lips softly on hers. He pulled away and looked at her. Ava didn't know what to say, so she settled for smiling like an idiot.

"Are you coming!?!" Edgar shouted down the stairs. Ava jumped away from Jake,

"Yeah, I'm coming!" she called back up, looking back at Jake,

"See you later?" she asked. Jake smiled,

"Of course." He said smiling. Ava nodded and then quickly ran up the stairs.

"Ready to go?" Edgar asked as he saw her emerge from the stairs. Ava nodded,

"Yup, lets go." She said. Edgar laughed at her, but politely offered her his hand as he helped her down off the boat.

The two of them walked along the docks in silence, watching as the small ripples in the water lapped against the boats that were tied to the docks. Ava took a deep breath and looked towards Edgar,

"Hey Edgar?" she asked. Edgar looked towards her,

"Yeah?" he asked.

"I just wanna say thank you." She said. Edgar sighed and shrugged,

"It was nothing." He said. Ava shook her head,

"That was a big deal for you. We fought over this moment." She said. Edgar nodded,

"I did say sorry." He said, grimacing. Ava playfully pushed him with her hip,

"And I forgave you…I'm just saying, thanks for changing your mind." She said. Edgar rolled his eyes but slung an arm around her shoulder,

"Yeah, whatever…just don't make me regret it." He said.

* * *

So this was definitely not my best chapter, but I plan on making the rest of them SUPER FANTASTIC!

so REVIEW is you want the SUPER FANTASTICNESS!!!! haha xD 3

Thanks for reading! 3


	12. Authors Note

**Authors Note**

So today, I wrote a new Chapter for Still Breathing and Open Season.

I know it's been SOOOO long, but I just felt like finishing the stories.

So starting this week, I will try to upload a new chapter each week so that I can finish them.

So all of you who keep reading this and waiting…The waiting will stop soon!

You have something to look forward!

I am very sorry that I haven't updated in a WHILE!

Thank you for still waiting .

I will start updating on Wednesday after my test!


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